"fred" == fred writes:

fred I'm a newbie working on getting a PPL. People tell me that
fred if I'm serious about flying, I should seriously look into
fred purchasing a plane - in the long run it'll be cheaper than
fred renting.

Yes, but after your initial training.

fred I'd need something that seats 4 adults and a small amount of
fred luggage. Expected useage would be trips of a few hundred to
fred about 500 miles.

Keep in mind that most aircraft can't realistically fill the seats
they have: you'll be overweight typically. Especially as Americans
have supersized themselves since these aircraft were designed and
built. So if you want to fly 4 adults, even without luggage, they
better be slim and trim OR you will need a 6-seater OR you will need a
real hauler airplane, like the C-182.

Also, it might be slower, door-to-door timing, to fly to places
instead of driving, less than 300-400 miles away, depending on a
number of factors.

fred What I seek is a table laying out performance and payload
fred characteristics for your basic single engine prop planes.

There are some books out there that offer this information, though not
as handy as a single table.

fred So what is the airplane equivalent of a Toyota Corolla or
fred Honda Civic?

Well, that's the problem. There are no Toyotas or Hondas in the used
airplane market, only 25-50 year old Fords, Chevys, and Buicks. And a
few of us on these groups remember how much maintenance the old cars
required.

You're doing the right thing. Continue to take your flight training
and also continue to investigate a plane that fills your needs. I
don't know how much money you're willing to spend, but you'll probably
find that the initial cost, in the long run, isn't the big factor,
though it naturally seems so. Instead, it's the operating and annual
fixed costs, which you won't recoup, that you should be watching.

Others will know the different planes and performance better than I,
but it sounds like you might want to look at a C-182, or equivalent in
the low wing aircraft.
--
"If you give someone a program, you will frustrate them for a day; if
you teach them how to program, you will frustrate them for a
lifetime."